Pre-med program prepares students

WILMORE, KY—U.S. Surgeon-General Nominee Dr. James W. Holsinger said that the University of Kentucky’s medical school values Asbury College students who apply.

“Asbury College graduates are known for the quality of their preparation for medical school,” Holsinger said during the coffee house panel in October. “As a result they compete well for the limited number of places in each class.”

Holsinger does not stand alone in his high regards for Asbury graduates. According to Professor Carol Elam, the Associate Dean for Admissions and Institutional Advancement and professor at the University of Kentucky, Asbury students are qualified for the challenges of medical school.

“I have found Asbury students to be very well prepared academically for the rigors of medical school,” Elam said, “and very interested in giving back to others.”

“Dr. Bobby Baldridge has been an excellent advisor and advocate for Asbury students,” Elam added.

Dr. Baldridge has taught at Asbury since 1994.

“The one-on-one faculty interaction and the actual relationships I’ve built with my professors here is something I wouldn’t trade,” said junior Matt Riddle, who plans to attend medical school after graduation.

Riddle said he also feels Asbury will be a solid foundation for medical school.

“I’m very happy with the education I’ve received from Asbury,” Riddle said. “Because we’re a small school and the professors are willing to work with students, I’ve been able to double-major in biochemistry and music, which I think greatly increases my chances of getting into the med school I want.”

The number of Asbury students is far fewer than those of larger state schools; therefore the ratio of Asbury students to others in the post-graduate field is a small one.

“I would say that in most years, two or three students from Asbury enroll in the new incoming medical school class,” Elam said.

But Holsinger said these two or three students aren’t at a disadvantage when they apply to the UK College of Medicine.

“Asbury College students compete on an equal level with medical school applicants from other institutions,” Holsinger said. The liberal arts education Asburians receive is beneficial to their future schooling and profession, he added.

“My understanding of Asbury College students is informed by those graduates who have entered the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky,” Holsinger said. “These individuals have performed well as medical students indicating the quality of the education that they have received at Asbury.”